Welcome, good wenches.
Thy Prince hath not forgotten your loyal act,
and, because of it, we are pleased to-day to bestow a favour on the burgesses of Saltash, which favour our herald shall now proclaim. Ho there,
herald! The proclamation.
H e r a l d :
Know that of our special favour with the assent of our Council we have
granted, for ourselves and our heirs, to the Mayor and Burgesses of our
town of Saltash in the County of Cornwall, that they should have the
proceeds and revenues of a certain Ferryboat in our said town of Saltash
for a term of thirty years, by returning to us and our heirs annually, during
the said thirty years, instead of the aforesaid proceeds and revenues,
ten pounds at Michaelmas in equal portions.
God save the King. {Cheers.)
Ho ! I see another friend—that roistering knave, William Leache. Come
hither, rascal. By my faith, thy face is as honest and as ugly as ever.
{Leache kneels). Nay, do not kneel, We have been comrades in arms,
and thou hast ever served me with unswerving fealty.
But, thou hast lost an ey e! Was it at Poitiers ? Ay, I mind it now,
and, by the rood, to-day I will requite thy loss as I can. Thou shalt have
thirty marks each year charged to our privy purse. But look to it that
the saucy wenches of Saltash take it not from thee, for, by my soul, they
would seduce blessed Antony himself. And, friend William, thy one
eye has a roving look that would do the work of two.
And now we must press on, for the king’s work is urgent. Farewell, my
friends. Forget not your allegiance to the Lord Christ, and—Edward
and England for ever ! {Cheers. Exit procession, followed by townspeople).
GEpteobe 4 .— &ixteentfj Ccnturp
DRAKE’S DREAM.
‘As every schoolboy knows’—and schoolgirl, too, one would add
To Macaulay’s egregious phrase—Queen Elizabeth
Never in life set foot in the Duchy of Cornwall.
To-night we may well rub our eyes on beholding her ghost
Transported from Westminster Abbey to dance at Saltash,
A point far beyond the range of her longest Progresses !
But pageants, like poets, are granted a measure of licence.
What though the incident be but a figment of fancy ?
No one can argue that Drake, as here shown, did not dream it.
See him, pacing with troubled mind the green deck of the field.
For safer bestowal the treasure new-taken from Spain
Know not, sirrah !
He has moved from ships in the haven to Trematon Keep,
Instead of despatching it under strong guard to the Tower.
Truth to tell he is sorely reluctant to part with it.
For, knowing Elizabeth’s greed for gold and for jewels,
He doubts if, after her fingers have dipped in the coffers,
Anything will be left for himself and his mariners :
A sackful of silver, it may be, flung to her sea dogs,
A gracious reprieve from the hangman’s rope for their Captain !
And now word is come that the Queen is storming and swearing
Because of the long delay in receiving the plunder.
“ She suspects me," growls Drake, “ ’twere wise to tarry no longer :
The waggons shall set forth at dawn." And, filled with foreboding,
He flings himself down, and dreams in the lee of the hedgerow.
(Drake is seen dreaming. Enter men with maypole followed by Mayday procession
of children, May Queen, etc., and townspeople who enter singing a Mayday madrigal.
At end of song man runs in shouting).
News, news, my masters ! News, I say. (All gather round. Shouts of
“ What is it ? ” )
’Tis said that the Queen is approaching Saltash and will be here at any
moment.
Not our good Queen Bess ! Out upon thy lying tongue ! What should
bring her here ?
Nay, that I know not. I can only tell you as ’twas told to me.
Perchance she comes to join in our Mayday revelling ? (Laughter from
crowd).
Out upon thee for a saucy knave! Have a care, or that tongue of
thine will lose thee thine head, and a good riddance too say I !
(Laughter.)
(Cheers heard in distance. Great excitement. Shouts of " What is it ? ’’)
The Queen ! The Queen is here ! The Mayor is greeting her even now.
Come on now, we will give her a real Saltash welcome. (Shouts of “ Ay,
ay, that will we.” Enter Queen, ladies-in-waiting, etc., Mayor and other
townspeople.)
Good Mr. Mayor, methinks our visit to this our ancient Borough of Saltash
is well-timed, for I see the maypole yonder, and, if my eyes mistake not,
a fair maid who is to be crowned Queen of the May. Such customs are
dear to us, and we shall be graciously pleased to watch your revels, but
first there is a matter that concerns us closely, and demands oui instant
attention. Where is Master Drake, for it is his affairs that have brought
us hither, and we would have speech with him at once.
My liege, I know not if he is to be found on the quay------
Ods bodikins, thou hads’t best find out forthwith
or it will be the worse for thee. Go, send a messenger at once, and see
to it that Drake is brought here instantly.
(Drake groans and stirs uneasily in his sleep).
It shall be as your Majesty commands. Giles Gosling, thou art fleet of
foot. Hie thee to the quay and see if Frankie Drake has arrived, and if so
bring him hither at once. (Exit messenger.)
Now let the ceremonies begin. Bring thy May Queen hither and Elizabeth shall crown her. By the rood, a merry je st! A queen to crown a
queen! The idea doth please us mightily. (May Queen and attendants
come forward to Queen and curtsey) It is our royal pleasure to crown thee
Queen of the May. See to it that thou dost rule thy subjects with love
and justice. So shalt thou find happiness in thy kingdom. (Leads her
to the throne) And now the Maypole. (The maypole is danced.
Messenger arrives running to Mayor).
Your Grace, Captain Drake is here. Will your Majesty be pleased to
have speech with him in the inn yonder ?
Nay, what we have to say shall be said here in the presence of you all.
Bring him to me.
(Exit messenger to fetch Drake. Some consternation among the crowd, and
an atmosphere of uneasiness. Enter Drake and his sea-dogs. He pauses
on seeing the Queen)
Stand forth, Master Drake. (Drake advances and kneels.)
My gracious liege !
Drake, is’t true that thou hast seized three Spanish treasure ships and
anchored them off the quay here? Speak out and be speedy. Thou
wert better dally with a lioness than with Elizabeth.
’Tis true, your Grace, I see no reason to deny it.
See no reason! Have a care, Master Drake, beshrew me, but that head
of thine is in deadly peril. Where are the gold and treasure that thou
didst seize ? It hath not reached oui coffers. Where is it, I say ?
Stored in a safe place, most gracious lady, against the day when it can
be given over to your Majesty’s still safer keeping.
Thou hast a smooth tongue for a pirate, Master Drake, for by my father’s
beard, that is all thou art! But thou canst not trick us, so have a care.
What is the amount of this treasure, sirrah?
Some £60,000, my liege, an all too poor a gift for your gracious Majesty.
£60,000! ! ’Tis a princely sum. Look to it that it doth reach our coffers
within a sennight, Drake, or it will be the worse for thee. £60,000! !!
Methinks thy queen must pardon thee and graciously accept thy gift.
£10,000 shalt thou keep for thyself as a mark of our esteem. But oh !
I fear me thou art a sorry rog
(Drake kneels and kisses Queen’s hand during her speech. Meanwhile his
wife, with her father and brother, has entered and has watched rather fearfully. A t end she conies forward joyfully but shyly to Drake)
B u t whom have we here ? Part of the treasufe, Frankie ?
A y, your Grace, a treasure in very sooth, once known to Saltash folk as
M ary Newman, and now m y own dear wife.
Mistress Drake, we are glad to greet thee, for thy wooing b y our Frankie
touched all hearts. Keep an eye on th y man, for he is over venturesome
on the high seas. W ilt lend him to th y queen for a space ? Then come,
Drake, th y h a n d ! W e will tread a M ayday measure. (Dance follows.)
Now, good people, our royal coach awaits us, and we must away. E lizabeth of England will not easily forget this M ayday, nor her subjects’ loving
welcome. The burdens of a sovereign are heavy, but it doth ease them
m ightily to know that th y queen can claim the allegiance of such loyal
and trusty hearts. Farewell.
(Exeunt omnes to m usic)
C p tso be 5 — C isfjtee nt!) C e n tu r p
POWDER AND PATCHES.
In pageantry Time's leaden feet to quicksilver change :
The slow-moving centuries race, years dwindle to minutes.
A magical carpet now bears us to Georgian days
O f silk and brocade on a background of rags and tatters.
A turbulent age when beggars cut throats for a shilling
And gentlemen settled their quarrels with rapiers, killing
With no more excuse than the slight o f a lifted eyebrow.
A n age none the less of curtseys and exquisite manners,
O f tuneful gavotte and quadrille, stately dances which taught
A reverence for women (not notably practised, maybe,
By a manhood largely composed o f rakes and of roues)
Tonight Lady Betty descends from her new sedan chair
To step, with friends at the Manor upon the smooth lawn,
A minuet, daintiest o f measures, undreaming of days
When, deafened by raucous percussion and saxophone discord,
We dance with a shuffle derived from the amorous ape.
Hark ! From that tuneful, quieter England of yesterday
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